This book read like someone took all the dystopian/new world/post-apocolyptic plotlines and smushed them all together. There were the people trying to live off the earth because there is no longer electricity etc., the people who believe in a coming savior, mutants, secret tunnels, separated lovers, families destroyed... I felt like Ms. Thomson should have taken Coco Chanel's advice re: accessories - look in the mirror and take one off. (Or possibly two or three) Too much going on, too many slow chapters, too many chapters that sped through what could have been interesting topics... read more like a first draft to me.

In a dystopian world created by Lorraine Thomson, Sorrel lives in her small village. Her life is unrewarding, but easy. She has a blooming love with her childhood friend David, a lifelong nemesis named Mara, a struggling relationship with her mother, and two younger siblings to take care of. When mutants attack her village, though, her whole world is flipped on its head. Her mother is killed, her friends and brother taken, and her entire home burned to the ground. Now, she must navigate a strange and complicated world with only her knife and feisty personality to keep her safe. 

I was drawn to this book by the summary provided. The description of the "Before" world and the "Now" was interesting, especially once you find out that the main antagonists of the story are mutants. Although, these are less like X-Men mutants and more like the survivors of a nuclear holocaust. I've always loved dystopian stories and I was especially encouraged by having a female main character. 

The world created in The New Dark is interesting and creative. There are veiled references to the "Before" AKA our modern world, with cars and shopping malls. It's unclear what happened to our world, but it's implied there's been some sort of nuclear war. Technology has been set back by about 500 years, some children are born as mutants who are either killed or cast out to live in exile, and humanity survives in small pockets of diverse communities. It was fun to explore this world, figure out what the new rules are, and watch Sorrel explore without the help of a guide. What's great about this version of reality is the lack of black and white values. No character is purely evil or purely good, the main characters and antagonists included. 

The plot was quick and exciting. It was incredibly quick paced and I was able to read it in a day. There's few moments of rest, which is sometimes exhausting but mostly exciting. The narration alternates between Sorrel's point of view as the traverses the wild world she's found herself in and David, who has been sold into slavery. During Sorrel's story, she encounters humans, mutants and monsters of all sorts. She learns to trust no one and gets herself in a good bit of trouble. In David's side of the story, he fights for freedom for himself and the other young people of Sorrel's village while continually getting himself in even worse situations. I sometimes enjoyed the alternative perspectives, but other times felt frustrated and manipulated when the author ended on a cliff hanger and then jumped to a different point of view. Additionally, its clear that there is a sequel in the works, so the ending left me feeling confused and curious.

The part of the novel I struggled with the most was the characters. Since we jump so quickly into the story and don't get to spend much time with these characters before the mutants attack, it's hard to feel attached to them. Once we're into the heavy action of the plot we never get to learn about these characters or have them develop. It was difficult to connect to Sorrel or David or truly understand why they felt such a strong romantic connection to each other. I can see that the author wants them to be together, but I don't know enough about the characters and their relationships to feel like I would fight along side them for their relationship. I understand both Sorrel and David on a superficial level, but struggle to describe them beyond a "strong female archetype" and "loyal male hero archetype." 

The book is great for lovers of fantasy and science fiction, specifically those who like dystopian stories. You can expect a quick and entertaining read for this book, but don't expect to dig much into the characters or have a full conclusion at the end. I'm interested to read more of this author's work and see if the next book offers some closure that the first in the series left open.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital ARC of this book. This book is true to its title description. The reader won't be disappointed when reading this book.

I'm not even sure where to begin. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it, or even really like it. I wasn't disappointed. I'm not angry. I just feel a lot of....nothing towards this book.

WARNING: This book contains themes of slavery, oppression, racism, sexual assault, and prejudices against disabilities. To name a few.

I understand that this book was trying to point out the wrongness of all of these issues. I do "get" that, but it just fell so flat to me. If you are going to take on such issues as these, maybe take more than 221 pages to do so...or focus on one issue at a time. It ended up just coming across as glossing over several issues without a true focus.

The New Dark follows Sorrel and David after the attack and destruction of their homeland, Amat. Sorrel and David are the "meant to be" stereotype with the typical "mean girl" Mara, who tries everything in her power to split them up. There is a lot of female backstabbing on the side of Mara and a lot of hatred on the side of Sorrel. Again, so so so tired of this trope. Can't we just have a solid female friendship? Why can't we have nice things? Sorrel also falls under the typical "special snowflake" category because of her birthmark . I KID YOU NOT. BECAUSE. OF. HER. BIRTHMARK. SHE. IS. "SPECIAL." Sexual predator Martin, of the "Free" decides to force her into marriage because of the birthmark. Nevin and Yolanda make her into a symbol of freedom in Dinawal because of her birthmark. Her grandmother filled her special snowflake head with tales of how she was special because of her birthmark. Also...what was the point of the mutants? Why did people think they were "unviable" and "wrong"? I don't understand.

WHY?

In the end I was left with one resounding question:

What was the point of it all?

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book.

This book was a wonderful page turning adventure. I had such an enjoyable time with Sorrel. The character development was really great for me. The only issue I had with this book was that the beginning made it very, very difficult for me to get into. I'm glad I pushed though and finished it. Lorraine Thomson did a great job and I can't wait to read the rest.

The New Dark is a new YA trilogy, that caught my interest with its take on the dystopian/ Sci-Fi future.
The follows Sorrell, a young girl born in the "Now", the world that she lives in has no internet, no T.V, no power and very little food. Sorrell lives a quiet life in a small village called Amet, until one day a pack of mutants comes to the village and kill the old and kidnap the young. Sorrell manages to escape being caught or killed but her boyfriend and younger brother are not so lucky. Sorrell must go after them to save them, they are the only thing that is getting Sorrell though all the her dangerous situation.
This book is really good at showing that not all types of people are good or bad. When you start to read the book you think the Mutants are the bad guys of the story, than with the introduction to the people of the"The Free" you realise not to take anything on its appearance. This book also made me think a lot, as it deal with what people do to people who are different, as well as slavery being normal.
I found the story slow in parts, but as story continued I was drawn in, I managed to read the book in one night. The end of the book has left it open perfectly for the next book, and left me wanting more.
If you enjoyed book like Book of fire by Michelle Kenney, I would give this book a read.
I give this book 3.5 out of 5
🤓

Where do I start? Where? Usually, I have a good idea. I start with the negative—if applicable—and move to the positive. When a book is overwhelmingly negative or overwhelmingly postive—it throws me.

I suppose I'll just do my best. Which is going to be hard because this book was so boring to me that I'm having trouble even retaining the story.
"The New Dark" by Lorraine Thomson left me in the dark.
The world was not developed—at all. The "Before" describes the world before something apocalyptic in nature happened. What? Well, I'm not entirely sure. But, there are mutants now and they're usually killed at birth. We're told how things are and we're to accept it without a backstory. Sorry, that's something I can't accept.

The characters were one-dimensional and clueless. I don't think they knew why their world had mutants or why society collapsed.

The symbolism is apparently a really big thing. The tattoo on Sorrel's wrist means something. Who knows what. I don't really care at this point. It's a tattoo looking thing. Cool. Tattoos are all the rage. I guess a tattoo looking birthmark is a good enough reason as any to become the face of a revolution!

The whole book was a mishmash of every YA Dystopian you've ever read-only, without a plot.

The cover is lovely though. Not lovely enough for me to continue reading this series but lovely nonetheless.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. All opinions are my own.

*4 stars*
I really enjoy this book!! I loved the post-apocalyptic story line, Sorrel firceness and courage, David's feelings and how Lorraine Thomson managed to show us that good people does not only come in human form.
This is a book I highly recomend and can't wait to read the following ones.

The plot was interesting and this book could have been a great book. However, it was very choppy - there was no real rhythm or flow. I didn't feel the connections between the characters, I was told there were connections. And there were lots of parts that needed more and were skipped over completely - lots of holes.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review,  so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡
This is a story is about Sorrel who is from a town called Amat. People from Amat work together. A group of mutants raided their town, killed the elderly and took the young people with them to another town. The captured are Eli, Sorrel’s brother and David, who she is madly in love with. Sorrel, along with a mutant set out to find David and Eli before it’s too late. Sorrel, is a very strong lady. She was so tough and independent. She started looking for Eli and David all by herself. I loved how she was able to fight and the skills that she possesses like being able to hunt her own food. She is also pretty stubborn. She reminds me of md lol She gets ahead of her feelings and sometimes speaks without even thinking. The story was set in different towns. First was in Amat, her hometown. The next was Ulbroom, The Land of the Free. The story was exciting. It was full of action since the very beginning.
This was my first book by this author, however I did enjoy it. It was fast paced and just alltogether an easy read. I give this book a 4.5 star rating!

I became so engrossed in this book almost right from the beginning. I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the world the author created and really enjoyed the characters. I am looking forward to reading the next 2 books- I cannot wait to find out what happens to Sorrel next and whether she finally finds her little brother.

I was unsure when I saw this book…I thought maybe it was just going to be another zombie/dystopian novel, just calling the zombies mutants. But…I was pleasantly surprised. It was a totally new twist to the story. The main character was a young girl…and even though she did most everything she did so that she could find her boyfriend and brother…it was more of an adventure than a romance. I would give it 5 stars, right up until the last sentence in the book. A major cliffhanger, which I absolutely hate. I want to decide whether to read another book, not feel like I must. That said, I’m still going to give it 5 stars, because I WANT to read it and find out what happens next! I’m involved with the characters now.

*thank you to Netgalley and Bastei Entertainment for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

1 star.

DNF @ 26%

The beginning started off quite strong, but it quickly went downhill and I lost interest pretty fast. I was not prepared for the sexual abuse in this and that was also a big reason I could not finish it as it was too triggering. One positive is that I really like this cover.

I think I'm at closer to 2.5 stars. I struggled to get into this book, but it ended up being an enjoyable, quick read. My biggest problem is the lack of world building. I was excited to enter a dystopian world, but it didn't really feel like a dystopian novel at all until the very end. And then it seemed very close to the Hunger Games to me. What happened? Why is the world segmented the way it is? How did these regional communities develop so close together without knowing about each other? Why aren't there more remnants of Before? I liked Sorrel's character arc and am interested in the tensions with other characters it will lead to later in the series, but there were just so many unanswered questions.

I enjoyed this. 'Into the Dark' had it all: Mutants, Religious fanatics, slavery, poison, treachery all in an unsettling post apocalyptic setting. Sorrell the main character witnesses her entire village brutally murdered, with a handful allowed to live, just to be taken into captivity. In search of these lone survivors, Sorrell has to fight for survival in a world that is cruel and unforgiving.

The writing and world building carried its weight well throughout the read. There are so many questions remaining about this world set in the future that have noticeably been left unanswered. The characters are fierce and desperate with a foreboding sense of 'who to trust' hovering suspiciously over each page. I definitely am curious to see where this author will take this unusual series. 3.5 stars.

This book was not for me. The character development and plot detail could have been worked on a bit more. There WERE more questions than answers by the end of this book. It is a good thing that this is a series.

It was an ok read, not too bad I guess. Maybe a good read for a teenager.
I didn’t find that much of sci-fi elements so I wouldn’t consider this book in that genre.
Apparently is a trilogy but I would not be reading it.
The reading is good and the characters are interesting. There is nothing I would say I hate/dislike is just that this book was not for me.

I liked the storyline but the dialogue didn't seem to fit. It felt like the characters' manner of speech wasn't quite right. It pulled me out of the story.

I love fantasy, and on the whole, I love sci-fi as well, so this YA book should have been a winning cocktail, angst and all. In the end, though, despite some interesting comments on mutants and society, I wasn’t completely hooked.
Similarly to Michelle Kenney’s great Book of Fire, a post-apocalyptic novel about people living wild in the forest facing off against a more civilised (and invariably slightly evil) post-apocalyptic society, The New Dark is about Sorrel, a girl from Amat, a community that is attacked by mutants, a new strain of people who have been affected by what I imagined was the radiation from the accident that wiped out our society in the first place. With her brother stolen by mutants, and the man she loves, David, trafficked into slavery, Sorrel sets off to track them down- and save them- without being captured herself.
Though apocalyptic fiction has massive scope for invention- the amazing Dustlands series is a personal favourite of mine- Thompson’s world didn’t seem particularly new or fresh to me: a bog-standard dystopian world, with mutants seemingly the only new addition to the fray. Though Sorrel is an interesting heroine- more importantly, she’s not perfect, which I really liked- she always seems to be at the mercy of other people, and she didn’t have an engaging personality for me to root for (she forgot about her missing brother for good chunks of the novel). What was interesting was Thompson’s bold decision to split her and David, her star-crossed lover, apart at the very start: there was no insta-love, or teenage angst, here, which was a refreshing change, and gave you something to root for as they tried to make their way back to each other.
Thompson’s use of the mutants also had a lot of potential. The mutants in Sorrel’s world are often treated as second-class citizens, who are abused and killed at birth by a good deal of the human population; as a result, her arc over the course of the book is less about finding her way back to David and more about her developing friendship with the mutants, overcoming her prejudice. Despite some sometimes-clunky comparisons, it was definitely an interesting twist on the story, but overall it felt like a bit of an add-on to what was meant to be the main plot to feel overly relevant.
The plot was also a little confusing. Apart from Sorrel and David, quite a few of the characters seemed quite one-dimensional, and so their actions and motivations sometimes seemed rather obscure- several betrayals, or plot twists, came out of the blue and left me reeling. That, combined with Sorrel’s completely unorchestrated rise to freedom fighter by the end of the book, left me scratching my head and flicking back a few chapters to see if I’d missed anything.
All this adds up to an uneven, but interesting, book. Thompson has a way with words that does make for engaging reading, and Sorrel’s character journey through the novel is genuinely heartwarming. For people who want a YA novel with something different to offer, then curl up with this- but it wasn’t for me.

Not much world building, plot was clunky, characters were unlikable. Overall, just not a very good read.